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AN  ADDRESS  BY 
WILLIAM  ALANSON  BRYAN 


J^anfir  Slttfitttutuitt  Puhltratifltta 
No.  2 


CHICAQO,  ILL.,  JANUARY 
NINETEEN  HUNDRED  AND  EIQHT 


THE  PACIFIC 
SCIENTIFIC  INSTITUTION 


AN  ADDRESS  BY 

WILLIAM  ALANSON  BRYAN 


Pacific  Institution  Publications 

Special  Series 
No.  2 


CHICAGO,   ILL.,  JANUARY 
NINETEEN  HUNDRED  AND  EIGHT 


THE  PACIFIC  SCIENTIFIC  INSTITUTION' 


By  William  Alanson  Bryan 


Contents. — (i)  A  General  Statement;  (2)  The  Pacific  Institution; 
(3)  The  Exploring  Expedition;  (4)  General  Administration  of  the  Institution; 
(5)  The  Scientific  Organization  of  the  Institution;  (6)  Scope  of  the  Inquiry; 
(7)  Departments  of  the  Institution;  (8)  Disposition  of  the  Material;  (9)  Pub- 
lications. 

A  GENERAL  STATEMENT 

So  far  as  the  demands  of  modern  science  are  concerned,  the 
Pacific  Ocean  is  still  little  less  than  a  vast  unexplored  realm.  The 
best  authorities  agree  that  the  region  is  literally  teeming  with  a 
wealth  of  raw  material  for  study  in  every  department  of  scientific 
research.  This  is  true  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  since  the  days  of 
Cook's  memorable  voyages  of  discovery  there  has  scarcely  been  an 
ethnologist,  a  geologist,  a  zoologist,  or  a  botanist  worthy  of  the 
name,  who  has  not  longed  to  explore  the  region ;  or  whose  mind  and 
heart  have  not  been  enthralled  at  the  very  thought  of  the  virgin 
opportunity  for  original  research  awaiting  any  investigator  who 
will  study  the  problems  of  science  involved  in  the  Pacific's  vast 
watery  domain. 

Indeed,  to  explore  exhaustively  the  region;  to  fathom  its 
unknown  depths;  to  delve  into  its  great  mysteries;  to  study  at 
first  hand  its  people,  its  fauna,  and  its  flora,  have  all  been  among 
the  dearest  ambitions  of  men  of  science  the  world  over. 

Although  appreciating  fully,  the  opportunity  for  scientific 
achievements  offered  in  particular  lines  of  investigation  few — 
indeed,  very  few — of  even  the  best  informed  of  men  have  ever  con- 
ceived in  more  than  a  vague  way  of  the  enormous  sum  total  of 
scientific  work  still  remaining  to  be  done  in  the  Pacific  Ocean.  Yet 
the  veriest  tyro  knows  well  that  there  are  scores  of  islands  scattered 
over  this  broad  expanse  on  which  scientists  have  never  even  set 

I  An  address  delivered  by  the  president  of  the  Institution  before  the  Chicago 
meeting  of  the  American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science,  December 
30,  1907. 

3 


foot.  It  is  not  strange,  therefore,  that  romances,  adventures, 
explorers,  scientists,  one  and  all  have  dreamed  fond  dreams  of 
some  day  plundering  for  one  reason  or  another,  in  some  way  or 
other,  this  great  storehouse  of  loiowledge,  adventure,  and  discovery. 

In  moments  of  reckless  fancy  many  such  dreams  of  conquest 
have  been  made  over  into  tentative  plans  for  accomplishing  what  is 
without  doubt  the  world's  greatest  task  of  exploration.  Unfortu- 
nately many  of  the  plans  thus  proposed,  though  worthy  in  them- 
selves, have  been  doomed  from  the  first  to  languish  for  want  of 
financial  support,  or  worse  still  have  perished  from  lack  of  the 
ordinary  encouragement  which  one  enthusiast  is  usually  willing  to 
accord  to  another. 

In  view  of  the  many  disappointments  of  the  past  it  is  gratifying 
and  significant  to  find  that  the  effort  now  being  made  to  form  a 
thoroughly  modern  co-operative  scientific  institution  with  the 
endowment  and  facilities  necessary  to  carry  on  rapidly  an  exhaus- 
tive survey  of  the  whole  region  is  everywhere  being  received  with 
the  most  cordial  approval  and  support.  At  last  one  of  the  many 
plans  of  exploration  that  has  been  offered  is  to  be  brought  to 
fruition.  Hawaii,  situated  in  the  midst  of  the  region  to  be  studied 
is  to  be  the  center  of  this  great  undertaking. 

The  propriety  of  Honolulu  serving  as  a  focal  point  and  leading 
in  the  work,  as  well  as  the  fact  that  at  last  a  worthy  survey  of  the 
Pacific  is  to  be  inaugurated  has  been  hailed  by  men  in  all  countries, 
both  in  and  out  of  science,  with  the  utmost  enthusiasm.  For 
there  are  many  who  believe  that  the  results  growing  out  of  a  care- 
fully planned  and  faithfully  executed  exploration  of  the  whole 
realm  will  add  more  to  the  sum  of  human  knowledge  than  any 
single  effort  of  a  like  kind  that  can  be  attempted. 

It  seems  unnecessary  to  discuss  the  many  urgent  reasons  which 
make  the  exploration  of  this  region  almost  imperative.  Everyone 
knows  that  the  Polynesian  race  is  not  only  passing  away,  but 
that  it  is  taking  with  it  into  the  great  beyond  all  the  facts  which 
would  elucidate  the  manifold  problems  involved  in  the  origin  and 
subsequent  distribution  of  the  various  branches  of  the  race  in  the 
Pacific.  We  know  that  the  civilization  of  the  Polynesian  people 
was  not  only  very  old  at  the  time  of  their  discovery  by  the  white 

4 


race,  but,  considering  the  circumstances  of  isolation  under  which 
the  race  was  developed,  very  far  advanced.  Yet  farther  than  the 
meager  records  of  early  explorers  and  the  narratives  of  traders, 
missionaries,  and  adventurers,  all  of  whom  in  their  writings  treated 
the  civilization  of  the  natives  in  a  superficial  manner,  we  know 
next  to  nothing  of  one  of  the  great  races  of  mankind.  Ethnologists 
yearn  for  reliable  knowledge  of  this  interesting — yes,  fascinating 
people.  They  assert  that  we  must  ascertain  their  origin,  tribal 
traditions,  and  social  affinities  before  a  worthy  history  of  the  human 
race  can  be  written.  We  all  know  too  well  of  the  rapid  change  of 
conditions  and  the  obliteration  of  the  facts  upon  which  the  study 
of  any  primitive  people  depends.  Anyone  at  all  familiar  with  the 
peculiar  conditions  in  the  Pacific  feels  that  with  the  Polynesian  and 
kindred  tribes  it  is  indeed  now  or  never  that  this  work  must  be  done. 

That  which  is  true  of  the  Polynesian  race  as  a  people  is  equally 
true  of  the  material  in  every  department  of  natural  history.  That 
which  it  is  so  important  to  preserve  or  record  is  everywhere  passing 
away  or  changing  in  character.  Then  too,  an  exhaustive  exami- 
nation of  any  one  subject  in  the  Pacific  is  so  interwoven  with  others, 
that  the  study  of  the  one  is  remarkably  involved  by  the  lack  of 
knowledge  of  the  other.  This  is  true  to  such  an  extent  that  in 
order  to  be  of  a  high  character,  any  ethnological  survey  of  the 
region  requires  as  a  starting-point  information  which  is  today 
sadly  lacking  of  the  oceanology,  climatology,  geology,  zoology,  and 
botany  of  the  entire  ocean. 

A  task  which  involves  so  much  exploration,  investigation,  and 
research  can  only  be  accomplished  by  creating  first  of  all  a  scientific 
center  exclusively  devoted  to  this  especial  work.  Such  a  center 
must  undertake  to  collect  and  bring  thither  all  of  the  material  and 
data  on  which  the  investigation  must  be  based.  It  must  then  pro- 
vide the  men  and  facilities  necessary  for  the  study  of  the  material, 
once  it  is  assembled,  and  lastly,  in  order  to  make  the  labor  of  the 
survey  permanent  and  valuable,  ample  opportunity  for  the  publi- 
cation and  application  of  the  facts  thus  obtained  must  be  provided. 
Thus  the  results  of  the  undertaking  may  be  permanently  added  to 
the  general  store  of  human  knowledge  for  the  benefit  and  improve- 
ment of  all. 

5 


Until  recently  the  Pacific  has  been  regarded  as  so  remote  from 
the  old  and  well-established  centers  of  civilization  and  learning 
that  many  have  felt  that  it  would  be  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to 
carry  out  such  an  undertaking  as  is  here  proposed.  Happily  that 
objection  is  now  removed  and  the  desirability  of  Honolulu  serving 
as  the  center  for  the  work  is  generally  admitted. 

Honolulu,  the  capital  of  Hawaii,  is  a  thoroughly  modern  city. 
It  is  equipped  with  every  modem  convenience,  being  supplied  with 
abundant  cable  and  steamship  connections,  with  all  parts  of  the 
Pacific.  It  has  the  most  delightful  and  healthful  climate  in  the 
world,  and  in  addition  to  its  many  widely  recognized  scientific  and 
educational  facilities,  offers  natural  advantages  pre-eminently  fitting 
it  to  lead  in  this  work — a  work  which  is  in  truth  a  "world's  work" 
in  scope  and  significance. 

Besides  the  remoteness  of  the  Pacific  from  established  centers 
of  learning  as  just  alluded  to,  there  have  been  innumerable  reasons 
for  delay  in  undertaking  this  great  task.  Aside  from  the  lack  of 
sufficient  funds  the  chief  and  most  important  cause  of  delay  in  the 
past  has  been  that  the  islands  of  the  region  are  divided  among  the 
nations  of  the  earth  in  such  a  way  that  no  country  has  been  ready 
or  willing  to  incur  the  expense  incidental  to  the  exploration  and 
charting  of  a  sister  country's  domain.  As  a  result,  the  little  that 
has  been  accomplished  by  home  governments  or  private  enter- 
prise has  been  desultory,  fragmentary,  and  in  a  large  degree  futile, 
from  lack  of  scope  and  consistent  purpose. 

It  therefore  remained  for  some  individual  or  institution  or  asso- 
ciation of  individuals  and  institutions  to  take  up  and,  so  far  as 
possible,  carry  forward  the  undertaking,  and  by  so  doing  do  for  the 
world  a  work  that  the  state  or  nation  could  not  legitimately  attempt. 

Such,  then,  briefly  told,  are  some  of  the  purposes  of  and  reasons 
for  the  existence  of  the  Pacific  Scientific  Institution,  with  the 
organization,  purposes,  and  work  of  which  it  is  the  province  of  this 
paper  to  deal. 

THE   PACIFIC   SCIENTIFIC   INSTITUTION 

In  order  to  carry  on  in  a  comprehensive  way  the  administrative 

and  resident  research  work  of  the  exploration  of  the  region  and  at 

the  same  time  provide  for  the  inevitable  lateral  expansion  of  such 

6 


an  undertaking,  the  Pacific  Scientific  Institution  has  been  formed. 
It  is  a  corporation  under  the  control  of  an  especial  honorary  board 
of  fifteen  trustees,  who  are  empowered  to  receive,  in  trust,  funds, 
property,  or  equipment  for  the  prosecution,  promotion,  and  main- 
tenance of  scientific  research  in  the  Pacific  Ocean,  The  main 
object  of  the  trust,  as  set  forth  in  the  charter,  is  the  effecting  of  a 
thorough  biological  and  ethnological  survey  of  the  Pacific.  In 
addition  to  other  liberal  powers,  the  trustees  are  given  discretion 
to  wind  up  their  affairs,  when  in  their  judgment  the  main  object 
for  which  the  trust  is  created  shall  have  been  completed.  They 
will,  in  that  event,  make  such  a  disposition  of  the  trust  funds  as 
may  have  been  provided  for  by  the  benefactors,  or  in  default  of 
such  instructions,  as  they  themselves  may,  within  limitations,  deter- 
mine.^ They  are  also  empowered  to  reorganize,  endow,  and 
permanently  establish  any  one  or  all  of  the  especial  institutions 
which  may  be  created  by  them  for  the  continuance  of  research  in  the 
Pacific. 

As  the  means  appear,  the  trustees  will  establish  central  offices 
of  administration  in  Honolulu  provided  with  laboratories,  libraries, 
printing  equipment,  etc.,  which  they  will  house  in  buildings  of  a 
more  or  less  temporary  character.  They  will  also,  as  speedily  as 
possible,  establish  a  biological  station,  an  aviary  or  zoological 
garden,  a  garden  of  acclimatization  or  botanical  garden,  and  such 
other  scientific  institutions  or  facilities  as  they  may  in  future  deem 
desirable.^  When  practicable,  the  Pacific  Scientific  Institution  will 
affiliate  with  the  various  scientific  and  educational  institutions 
already  well  established  in  Hawaii,  such  as  the  Honolulu  Aquarium^ 
the  Historical  Library,  the  Bernice  Pauahi  Bishop  Museum,  Oahu 
College,  Hawaiian  Experiment  Station,  and  similar  institutions, 
with  the  object  of  forming  a  local  research  institution  with  adequate 
facilities  for  prosecuting,  in  the  fullest  and  most  satisfactory  way, 
a  work  of  the  extent  and  character  indicated  in  the  general  plan 
of  exploration. 

» The  Peabody  fund  for  the  promotion  of  education  in  the  South  is  cited  as  a 
strong  precedent  case. 

2  In  this  connection  I  am  happy  to  say  that  provision  has  aheady  been  made 
for  the  establishment  of  the  three  important  scientific  centers  just  mentioned, 
through  the  munificence  of  interested  patrons  in  Honolulu. 

7 


To  facilitate  the  research  work  from  time  to  time,  additional 
tables  of  research  under  the  control  of  the  Institution  will  be 
endowed,  which  will  be  provided  by  patrons  and  interested  insti- 
tutions in  such  a  way  that  the  Pacific  Scientific  Institution  can  call 
to  its  assistance  a  corps  of  specialists,  as  they  are  required,  to  work 
on  the  problems  with  which  the  survey  is  to  deal,  and  at  the  same 
time  to  furnish  specialists  in  the  old  well-established  museums  and 
universities  much  needed  opportunity  for  colateral  research  in  the 
Pacific  insular  province. 

This,  it  is  confidently  believed,  will  promote  a  spirit  of  co-opera- 
tion among  the  universities,  museums,  and  scientific  institutions 
of  the  world,  that  are  directly  or  indirectly  interested  in  a  study  of 
the  Pacific,  which  will  be  most  helpful  and  desirable  in  every  way. 

THE  EXPLORING  EXPEDITION 

The  present  plan  for  field  work  is  to  acquire  an  especially 
equipped  yacht  of  from  five  to  seven  hundred  tons  capacity,  which 
will  be  provided  with  sails  as  well  as  oil-burning  engines,  and  fitted 
with  the  necessary  accommodations  for  fifteen  scientific  men, 
including  laboratories,  field  library,  storage  tanks,  etc. 

This  vessel,  using  Honolulu  as  a  base,  and  establishing  secondary 
focal  points  from  which  to  carry  on  its  work,  will  make  cruises  to 
the  various  groups  of  islands  in  the  Pacific  region.  The  voyages 
can  be  so  arranged  that  the  entire  ocean,  with  its  more  than  two 
thousand  islands,  may  be  thoroughly  covered  in  about  fifteen 
excursions.  Thus  the  vast  region  would  be  worked  over,  group 
by  group,  with  a  fully  equipped  corps  of  especially  trained  field 
scientists;  the  time  required  to  complete  the  work,  of  course,  vary- 
ing with  the  number  and  size  of  the  parties  in  the  field.  In  this 
way  the  work  and  publications  on  any  group,  as  for  example  on  the 
Society  Islands,  would  be  uniform  and  complete;  every  depart- 
ment of  ethnology  and  natural  history  will  be  treated,  both  in  the 
field  and  in  the  subsequent  publication,  by  a  specialist.  By  reason 
of  a  carefully  prearranged  plan,  the  study  of  each  island  will  be 
made  with  an  understanding  of  the  great  ultimate  object,  namely, 
knowledge  of  the  Pacific  Ocean  as  a  whole.  The  data  thus 
gathered  will  always  be  even  and  of  a  comparable  character. 

8 


The  central  institution  in  Honolulu  will  in  due  time  affiliate 
with  the  various  universities  and  museums  of  the  world  in  a  way 
to  offer  an  opportunity  for  actual  field  work  to  the  graduate  stu- 
dents of  those  institutions.  The  undertaking  will  thus  be  suppHed 
with  a  constantly  increasing  corps  of  young  and  enthusiastic 
naturalists  for  the  arduous  work  of  the  field  exploration.  They 
will  bring  with  them  to  the  work  the  support  of  their  especial 
institutions;  since  their  appointments  on  the  expeditions  will  be 
gained,  in  the  main,  through  meritorious  w^ork  done  during  their 
preparatory  courses.  It  is  evident  that  work  of  this  character  is 
not  only  supplementary  to  the  university  and  museum  training,  but 
that  such  expeditions  will  furnish  scientific  employment  for  many 
graduates  of  our  colleges  and  universities  along  the  line  of  their 
especial  training.  It  will  also  provide  a  means  of  doing  postgraduate 
work  under  remuneration  during  the  critical  time  between  lea\dng 
college  and  the  finding  of  satisfactory  or  permanent  employment 
in  scientific  pursuits.  On  the  other  hand,  the  expeditions  will  be 
carried  on  at  a  minimum  of  expense,  while  offering  splendid  facih- 
ties  for  the  development  of  scientific  men,  from  among  whom  the 
Institution  will  select  its  permanent  staff  as  the  work  of  the  survey 
advances. 

GENERAL  ADMINISTRATION  OF  THE  INSTITUTION 

A  simple  and,  it  is  believed,  workable  plan  that  is  adapted  to 
the  character  of  the  work  the  Institution  is  to  carry  on  has  been 
adopted  for  the  general  administration  of  the  affairs  of  the  Insti- 
tution. 

A  board  of  fifteen  trustees  has  been  appointed.  The  board  is 
composed  of  men  of  highest  business,  judicial,  or  educational 
standing  in  the  Hawaiian  Islands.  Since  they  reside  in  Honolulu, 
they  are  intimately  in  touch  with  the  work  of  the  Institution  at  all 
times.  They  serve  without  remuneration  other  than  the  expenses 
incidental  to  the  administration  of  the  trust  funds.  This  body  has 
the  general  and  complete  control  of  the  affairs  of  the  corporate 
Institution.  However,  if  it  seems  wise,  they  may  obligate  the  Insti- 
tution to  make  annually  a  comprehensive  statement  of  its  general 
affairs  or  the  affairs  of  any  special  department  of  the  work  under 

9 


their  control  to  any  person  or  corporation  which  a  donor  may  desig- 
nate to  receive  such  reports. 

The  trustees  meet  at  stated  intervals  for  a  review  of  the  affairs 
of  the  Institution,  and  to  hear  and  act  on  the  president's  monthly 
or  quarterly  reports.  The  board  is  organized  into  various  com- 
mittees, which  are  empowered  to  act  for  the  full  board  in  certain 
matters  in  order  to  facilitate  its  business. 

The  president  is  the  chief  executive  officer  of  the  Institution, 
and  is  ex  officio  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  serving  during 
the  pleasure  of  the  board.  The  Executive  Committee  is  composed 
of  the  five  officers  of  the  Institution,  as  recognized  by  the  charter 
of  incorporation  and  has  general  control  of  the  affairs  of  the  Insti- 
tution when  the  trustees  are  not  in  session. 

Each  department  under  the  direct  control  of  the  Pacific  Scien- 
tific Institution  will  have  its  responsible  officer  styled  the  Director. 
The  by-laws  provide  that  he  shall  make  his  reports  and  be  respon- 
sible to  the  president  of  the  Institution. 

Institutions  affiliated  with  the  Pacific  Scientific  Institution  will 
be  addressed  and  recognized  through  the  Institution's  proper  repre- 
sentative ;  affihation  being  effected  by  both  institutions  concerned,, 
accepting  written  conditions  of  such  alliance. 

THE  SCIENTIFIC  ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  INSTITUTION 

The  president  is  directed  to  select  an  Honorary  Scientific 
Council  consisting  of  gentlemen  who  are  of  international  reputa- 
tion in  scientific  and  educational  matters. 

With  the  assistance  and  advice  of  the  Honorary  Scientific  Coun- 
cil the  details  of  the  systematic  work  will  be  so  arranged  that  a 
definite  system  of  procedure  will  be  settled  upon  before  the  actual 
exploration  is  inaugurated.  The  members  of  the  Scientific  Council 
will  assist  as  advisers  in  the  selection  of  the  leading  specialists  who 
shall  serve  as  curators  of  the  several  more  or  less  limited  depart- 
ments into  which  the  scientific  work  will  necessarily  be  divided. 
The  gentlemen  thus  selected  will  serve  as  the  honorary  curators  of 
the  departments  in  which  they  have  distinguished  themselves,  and 
will  exercise  a  general  advisory  supervision  over  the  work,  material, 
and  publications  of  their  especial  departments.     When  possible 

lO 


they  will  be  consulted  in  the  selection  of  the  curators,  assistants^ 
and  collectors  who  shall  work  in  their  respective  departments,  and 
will  be  regarded  as  forming  the  heads  of  departments  of  the  scien- 
tific staff. 

One  of  their  first  duties  will  be  to  prepare  for  the  Institution  a 
full  and  comprehensive  statement  of  the  status  of  their  specialty, 
with  reference  to  the  Pacific  Ocean.  In  their  reports  they  will 
treat  as  fully  as  circumstances  will  allow  such  subjects  as  the  regions 
in  which  collections  have  been  made — regions  from  which  no  satis- 
factory collections  have  been  secured — the  kind  and  quantity  of 
the  material  required;  equipment  necessary  for  the  collecting, 
storing,  and  study  of  the  material ;  a  list  of  the  important  literature 
deahng  with  their  specialty  in  the  region;  the  kind,  quantity,  and 
form  of  field  notes  to  be  collected ;  the  lines  along  which  investiga- 
tion should  be  pursued;  theories  which  require  further  or  more 
minute  study  afield  or  in  the  laboratories,  etc. 

These  theses  will  be  collected,  edited,  and  eventually  published 
to  furnish  the  broad  foundation  on  which  the  survey  will  be  con- 
ducted. Such  a  book  will  serve  the  young  student  as  a  touchstone; 
and  will  be  a  guide  to  what  has  been  accomplished  in  the  past  and 
what  yet  remains  to  be  done.  It  will  be  a  source  of  inspiration, 
tending  to  make  the  material,  gathered  from  any  source,  in  the 
various  groups,  by  various  observers,  take  on  a  more  even  and 
comparable  character. 

SCOPE  OF  THE  INQUIRY 

As  has  been  intimated,  perhaps  none  of  the  many  subjects 
which  require  immediate  investigation  in  this  vast  region  are  of 
greater  importance  than  those  with  which  ethnology  deals.  Hap- 
hazard and  promiscuously  gathered  specimens,  regarded  as  mere 
curios  by  the  voyagers,  have  furnished  a  large  proportion  of  the 
ethnological  material  that  has  gravitated  to  our  museums.  With- 
out data,  often  without  labels,  it  has  been  assigned  by  different 
workers  to  different  islands,  until  its  value,  even  as  curios,  has  dis- 
appeared. Yet  such  specimens  are  all  faithfully  guarded  by  mu- 
seum custodians  in  the  hope  that  competent  and  properly  trained 
ethnological  explorers  with  modern  methods  may  yet  go  afield  and 

II 


locate  the  place  of  their  origin  and  supply  the  data  that  will  make 
them  priceless.  Indeed,  the  ethnology  of  the  region  is  so  imper- 
fectly known,  that  the  few  workers  in  the  field  are  often  at  a  loss  to 
know  what  line  of  work  is  the  most  urgent  to  pursue;  so  great 
and  manifest  are  the  gaps  in  our  scientific  knowledge  of  this  inter- 
esting race.  As  has  been  said,  the  rapid  changes  which  civilization 
and  commerce  are  effecting  will  soon  obliterate  all  that  remains  of 
the  native  culture  of  this  people. 

Therefore  the  main  work  of  the  expeditions  will  be  to  study 
the  races  of  man  inliabiting  the  Pacific,  in  a  manner  similar  to  that 
in  which  the  Bureau  of  American  Ethnology  has  studied  the 
American  Indian.  Such  a  study  should  cover  their  physical, 
mental,  hnguistic,  social,  religious,  aesthetic,  and  industrial  develop- 
ment, as  well  as  the  problems  of  race  mixture  and  the  causes  of 
racial  decay  among  the  primitive  tribes  inliabiting  the  multitude 
of  Pacific  islands.  Since  the  material  for  the  elucidation  of  many 
of  the  problems  involved  does  not  exist  in  any  museum  or  museums, 
exhaustive  collections  must  be  made,  both  in  the  field  and  by  pur- 
chase, which  will  illustrate  their  crafts  before  it  is  too  late  to  secure 
them. 

Next  in  importance  is  the  study  of  land  biology.  The  limited 
size  of  the  majority  of  the  islands  makes  the  extermination  of  exist- 
ing peculiar  forms  a  matter  speedily  accomplished  by  the  intro- 
duction of  foreign  plants  and  animals,  or  unusual  conditions.  For 
example,  among  the  birds  on  the  island  of  Oahu  the  number  of 
species  known  to  science  which  have  been  exterminated  since  their 
description  exceeds  those  now  existing  on  the  island.  Still  in  the 
Pacific  there  remain  many  islands  unexplored  by  scientists  and 
thousands  of  forms  of  animal  life  that  are  as  yet  undescribed. 

In  the  plant  world  similar  conditions  exist.  There  are  hundreds 
of  species  which  are  unknown;  while  the  geographical  extent, 
abundance,  variation,  native  names,  and  economic  uses  of  all  the 
plants  of  the  region  must  be  investigated  and  recorded.  Such  a 
survey  will,  without  doubt,  aid  materially  in  the  development  and 
utilization  of  the  botanical  resources  of  the  tropical  islands  of  the 
world. 

The  value  of  the  study  of  the  shore  fauna  and  flora  cannot  be 

12 


exaggerated.  To  illustrate:  the  marine  life  of  the  Hawaiian 
Islands  is  better  known  than  that  of  any  group  in  the  region  that 
it  is  proposed  to  visit;  yet  the  U.  S.  Fish  Commission,  in  a  brief 
season's  collecting,  secured  more  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  new 
species  in  the  waters  about  the  islands.  Still  we  know  more  about 
fishes  than  we  do  of  any  of  the  many  other  marine  forms  of  life. 

The  work  of  Dr.  T.  Wayland  Vaughn  on  the  corals  of  Hawaii 
revealed  the  fragmentary  nature  of  our  knowledge  of  this  impor- 
tant subject.  The  researches  of  Dr.  Walter  K.  Fisher  on  the 
Hawaiian  Holothuroidea  furnishes  even  more  convincing  evidence 
along  the  same  line.  In  his  excellent  monograph  he  describes 
sixty  species  of  that  class  as  occurring  about  the  Hawaiian  Islands, 
fifty-two  of  which  are  reported  as  new  to  science.  Indeed  the  possi- 
bihties  of  a  careful  investigation  of  the  coast  fauna  and  flora, 
down  to  the  limit  of  the  effect  of  light  on  ocean  forms,  can  scarcely 
be  conceived. 

DEPARTMENTS  OF  THE  INSTITUTION 

In  order  to  facilitate  the  exliaustive  study  of  the  life  history  and 
economic  importance  of  both  plants  and  animals,  the  establishment 
of  the  biological  station,  an  aviary,  and  a  botanical  garden  in 
Honolulu  are  made  to  take  a  prominent  part  in  the  general  scheme. 

These  have  all  received  financial  support  and  will  be  established 
from  time  to  time  by  the  central  institution  as  supplemental  to  its 
work,  and  will  so  far  as  possible  be  made  the  center  for  the  work 
of  the  Institution  in  the  particular  field  which  they  cover.  One  of 
the  most  important  will  be  the  Botanical  Garden  and  Tropical 
Gardens  of  Acclimatization  in  which  will  be  grown  and  studied 
many  of  the  important  plants  procured  by  the  Institution's  explorers. 
The  production  of  new  and  important  tropical  fruits,  flowers,  and 
other  economic  plants  from  plants  thus  introduced  will  be  an 
important  branch  of  the  Institution's  applied  botanical  work. 

The  unrivaled  situation  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands  with  the 
diversity  of  climate  which  can  be  obtained  in  the  various  altitudes 
available,  should  in  time  make  this  one  of  the  world's  most  impor- 
tant and  beautiful  botanical  gardens. 

An  aviary  will  be  provided  that  will  partake  of  the  nature  of 

13 


zoological  gardens  for  the  reception  of  the  birds  and  animals  of  the 
Pacific.  Here  the  rare  and  beautiful  birds  of  the  region  will  be 
brought  and  studied,  as  the  results  of  the  survey  are  procured. 
The  systematic  and  economic  study  of  birds  will  be  the  major  work 
of  this  department  of  the  Institution.  The  economic  study  of 
birds  is  as  yet  almost  an  untrodden  field  of  practical  research.  The 
far-reaching  value  of  investigation  in  this  branch  of  the  work  can 
scarcely  be  estimated. 

The  Honolulu  Aquarium  is  an  institution  of  which  the  island 
city  is  justly  proud.  The  addition  of  rare  varieties  of  fish  to  its 
tanks,  will,  without  doubt,  make  possible  in  time  the  bringing 
together  in  the  three  institutions  mentioned  one  of  the  most  com- 
plete living  collections  of  the  plant  and  animal  life  of  a  single  region 
to  be  found  anywhere  on  the  globe. 

The  study  of  the  marine  botany  and  zoology  will  also  be  actively 
pursued.  The  first  department  of  the  work  to  receive  financial 
support  from  one  of  Hawaii's  generous  citizens  was  the  Biological 
Station.  In  its  laboratories  the  work  in  general  and  experi- 
mental biology  growing  out  of  the  survey  will  be  carried  on.  In  it, 
as  well  as  in  the  general  institution,  will  be  endowed  tables  of 
research  to  which  we  are  assured  scientific  men  will  resort  from  all 
parts  of  the  world.  Work  in  the  biological  laboratory,  where  the 
simpler  forms  of  plant  and  animal  can  be  exhaustively  studied,  has 
come  to  be  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  fruitful  sources  of  research. 
Many  biologists  believe  that  the  laboratory  is  the  workshop  where 
the  answer  to  the  old,  old  question  as  to  the  "origin  of  hfe"  is  being 
forged.  Who  knows  but  that  it  may  fall  to  Hawaii  to  provide  for 
the  world  the  means  and  material  with  which  to  elucidate  this 
great  riddle.  It  will  be  remembered  by  all  that  the  great  Pacific 
in  times  passed  furnished  much  of  the  fresh  data  and  material^ 
which  in  the  hands  of  such  philosophers  as  Darwin,  Wallace,  and 
Gulick  gave  a  solution  for  many  of  the  most  difficult  problems 
in  evolution. 

DISPOSITION  OF  THE  MATERIAL 

It  is  urged  that  the  Bcrnice  Pauahi  Bishop  Museum,  by  reason 
of  its  central  location  within  the  region  to  be  studied,  be  made  the 

14 


principal  recipient  and  final  depository  of  the  first  series  of  the 
material  to  be  gathered  by  the  survey.  The  general  accessibility 
of  the  museum  to  students  residing  on  the  shores  of  the  great  ocean, 
coupled  with  the  nature  and  value  of  the  collections  already  perma- 
nently stored  within  its  halls,  no  less  than  the  important  part  that 
the  museum  will  doubtless  take  in  the  work  of  exploration,  are 
among  the  many  points  that  might  be  urged  in  favor  of  such  a 
disposition  of  the  type  material. 

However,  the  final  disposition  of  the  material  in  the  Bishop 
Museum,  after  it  has  been  worked  out  by  the  Institution,  would 
seem  to  be  a  matter  for  treaty,  conditioned  among  other  things  on 
the  museum's  early  and  helpful  affihation  with  the  Pacific  Scien- 
tific Institution.  Also  some  definite  expression  of  the  museum's 
willingness  to  make  the  necessary  provisions  for  the  permanent 
storing,  exhibition,  and  conservation  of  the  material  that  would 
fall  to  its  share  by  this  arrangement  would  be  necessary.  In  order 
to  make  the  material  gathered  accessible  to  workers  in  all  parts  of 
the  world  it  is  suggested  that  the  U.  S.  National  Museum  be  made 
the  recipient  of  the  second  set  of  material.  The  third  set  of  speci- 
mens should  be  distributed  among  the  leading  specialists  actually 
engaged  in  the  systematic  work.  It  would  invariably  gravitate  by 
bequest  or  purchase  to  the  institution  most  interested  in  the  spe- 
cialty in  question. 

PUBLICATION  OF  THE  INSTITUTION 

The  publication  of  the  results  of  such  an  exploration  as  has  been 
outlined  in  the  preceding  pages  is  no  inconsiderable  part  of  the 
whole  undertaking.  It  is  hoped  that  in  time  the  printing  and 
illustrating  will  be  done  in  a  plant  under  the  control  of  the  Insti- 
tution. The  regular  publications  of  the  Institution  will  be  in  two 
forms,  i.  e.,  memoirs — quarto,  and  papers — octavo.  It  is  estimated 
that  there  will  be  on  an  average  five  thick  quarto  volumes  for  each 
group  of  islands  visited.  The  reports  on  each  group  will  be  as 
complete  as  possible  and  will  constitute  a  biological  and  ethno- 
logical survey  of  the  group  as  a  unit.  Each  subject  dealt  with 
will  in  every  case  be  treated  by  a  specialist. 

The  smaller  octavo  series  is  to  receive  the  miscellaneous  papers 

15 


growing  out  of  the  exploration.  In  it  will  be  published  the  result 
of  minor  investigations  carried  on  in  the  various  departments  in 
the  Institution. 

When  the  survey  of  the  entire  region  has  been  completed,  it  is 
proposed  to  call  upon  the  world's  leading  specialists  in  each  depart- 
ment to  aid  in  co-ordinating  the  work  done  by  the  field  observers 
and  systematic  workers  in  the  various  groups.  Thus  only  can 
deductions  and  conclusions  be  supphed  that  will  be  in  keeping 
with  the  monumental  labor  that  must  be  expended  in  consum- 
mating a  work  of  such  heroic  proportions. 

In  conclusion  it  may  be  added  that  a  worthy  exploration  of  the 
Pacific  on  the  fines  indicated  in  this  synopsis  is  a  work  which  with- 
out doubt,  in  the  bulk  of  publications  and  outlay  of  labor  involved, 
will  easily  double  that  so  successfully  accomplished  by  the  famous 
Challenger  Exploring  Expedition  around  the  world;  that  being 
the  only  previous  undertaking  that  has  in  any  way  approached  in 
importance  the  task  of  exploration  outhned  for  the  Pacific  Scientific 
Institution. 


i6 


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